1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a Point-Of-Sale (POS) system and a printed advertisement billing method. It particularly is directed to a POS system, printed advertisement billing method, and information recording medium, in which an advertiser, who seeks to have his/her advertisement printed on receipts generated at a check-out counter, for example, is billed according to the type, amount and duration of running the advertisement. In the event the advertising customer pays the advertising costs, the advertisement is printed on the receipt of store customers.
2. Description of the Related Art
POS systems in which customer check-out information (e.g. items/cost) is printed as a receipt have been in wide-spread use in convenience stores, supermarkets, and the like. With such a POS system, the operator uses a bar-code reader such as a hand scanner to read the bar-code on a product label attached to the product. The price of the product that has been stored separately in a storing device (memory) is retrieved based on the product identification information contained in the read bar-code, and cost calculations are performed according to such price information. Finally, the item and cost information is printed as a receipt. At this time, the operator may input information about the customer such as age, gender, occupation, etc., which is used to determine buying trends. Such information is helpful in planning for inventory requirements.
Convenience stores, kiosks, and the like can also be used to perform services such as reserving or ordering tickets, such as concert tickets, compact disks, and other such products or services. In such case, information input terminals, which are operated by customers inputting information through a liquid-crystal panel equipped with a touch panel are also in widespread use. The customer selects a desired product or ticket from the information input terminal, and receives the ticket/product stub printed by the information input terminal. A bar-code is printed on this stub, and the ticket or product is paid for at the check-out counter by reading this bar-code with the POS system.
Also, convenience stores and the like each receive information regarding various local events, such as field days, bazaars, sporting events etc., and use this information to plan for inventory needs.
Also, as reported in Page 39 of the Jan. 26, 1999 issue of the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun newspaper, a POS system has been proposed wherein information available from the Internet or other various commercial information-providing services can be printed on the receipt according to the preferences of the customer. Such systems are arranged such that the information is provided free of charge, or such that the customer who is provided with the information pays for receiving such information.
Further, a POS system has also been proposed wherein such information is displayed on a line display (customer display) provided with a cash register.
However, in the case of using such a POS system for advertising, complicated procedures have to be followed to place ads by registering with the Internet or other various commercial information-providing services. Accordingly, conventional POS systems can not readily deal with local residents, for example, placing ads in their residential area, for example. Thus, the information printed on the receipt is only generic information such as weather forecasts or the news of the day, and hence is not serving as a channel for active exchange of information between local residents.
However, there is a demand for a facility for local residents to be able to actively participate in the use of present POS systems to disseminate information about various events being held by the local residents.
Also, convenience stores and the like are facilities that are widely used by local residents, and there is a great demand for convenience stores and the like to be useful as channels of information exchange.
Also, local residents providing the convenience stores with information regarding such various events would aid the stores in inventory planning.
Further, a system is desired in which the advertising cost is a function of the type of advertisement. This would allow school events with a public benefit to be placed free, while charging profit-oriented ads such as ads for private tutors or seminars.